Homemade Clean Mayo

I am a mayo fanatic. I could eat the stuff with a spoon! But since eating clean I have eliminated it from my diet because the store bought mayo has some questionable ingredients, and truthfully, it took a little piece of my soul along with it. Then I stumbled upon this recipe and realized I could still have my mayo and eat it too!! Ahhh, its the little things in life!! (Just make sure its in moderation and count it towards your macros as a fat!) This recipe is by the Healthy Foodie.

Ingredients:

1. One egg, either large or extra large. Use two eggs if you only have medium on hand.
2. One cup Extra Light Tasting Olive Oil (use good quality, EXTRA LIGHT tasting!)
3. The juice of half a lemon or lime (about 2-3 teaspoons)
4. A generous pinch of salt

In a tall glass jar, wide enough to use an immersion blender in, crack the egg and pour in the olive oil and add the lemon juice and salt. Let the egg settle to the bottom of the jar, under the oil. Now if you want to add anything to the mayo, such as garlic, horseradish, mustard, etc, do so now. Next, place the blender at the bottom of the jar, turn it on and let it sit at the bottom for a good 20 seconds. The mayo will begin to form before your eyes! After about 20 seconds, slowly raise the blender as it continues to blend all the way to the top, keeping it in the mayo so you don't get sprayed. Move the blender around to make sure you have all the oil mixed in well, and then you're done! Homemade, healthy mayo!

Greek Chopped Salad

I struggle with lunch each and every day. It's like I forget that I have to eat that meal so at 2pm when I'm starving I scavenge for some high carb delight to keep me from passing out. Terrible! So I'm on the hunt for something healthy and veggie heavy that I can keep prepared in the fridge. I stumbled upon this gorgeous salad so I am making it tonight to have in the fridge for the next two days! This recipe is from A Farmgirl's Dabbles.

Ingredients:

For the salad:

• 3 c. halved cherry or grape tomatoes (quarter the tomatoes if they are larger)
• 2 large English cucumbers or 8 smaller Persian cucumbers, chopped
• 1 large green bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 c. diced red onion
• 1 c. pitted and roughly chopped Kalamata olives
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh mint
• 1/3 c. chopped fresh parsley
• 1/3 c. chopped fresh oregano
• 1 8-oz. block of feta, diced (or use crumbled feta)

For the salad dressing:

• 1/2 c. freshly squeezed lemon juice + zest of 1 lemon
• 1/4 c. white balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil
• 6 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt, plus additional sprinkled over the top before serving
• 1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, plus additional sprinkled over the top before serving

This is best when prepared ahead of time. Toss together all of the salad ingredients except for the feta.  Mix up the salad dressing and pour about 2/3 over the salad. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours, tossing every hour to let the flavors meld. Before serving, add the feta and remaining dressing and gently fold. Follow up with a sprinkle of salt and pepper!

Because I Love My Body, And Yours!

Sometimes I feel like my true message is lost in the pressures of society to be thin. I don't want to help you get skinny. I really don't. I'm not skinny, and I never want to be. My passion for fitness and eating well comes from my background as a nurse. It stems from the biology of HEALTH, of eating for nutrition and exercising to keep our muscles lean, our hearts strong, our lungs powerful, and our blood vessels elastic. I want to help people reduce their body fat in order to have more energy and stress their bodies less. More energy and less weight allows for more movement and the cycle of health is perpetuated. I want to keep people from becoming or remaining obese because I want to fight against the chronic diseases I see my patients suffer from. Diabetes, heart failure, and cardiovascular disease  may not kill you right away, but I see it strip people of life, independence, hope and the motivation to live.  These diseases aren't just "part of life" and pills don't make things better.  I want to help people live long, healthy lives free of avoidable diseases.

My second motive is to help people feel confident about themselves. I want people to love the healthy, strong body they see in the mirror. Sometimes that extra 10lbs is all it takes to take a toll on your self esteem and this can steal joy from your life. If that extra 10lbs doesn't bother you, then it sure as hell doesn't bother me!! But when it makes you uncomfortable and you find that it is keeping you from feeling happy with your body or it's enough to weigh on your mind, then I want to help you find a way to get rid of it in a healthy, natural way. I want to help free your mind and your soul of that concern so that you can feel happy and confident. There is nothing more beautiful than a woman that is confident in her skin, no matter what size!!

I hope my passion of helping people live physically and mentally healthy lives is apparent and understood! There is NO IDEALSIZE OR WEIGHT! I want to help you be the healthiest and happiest version of YOU! I workout and eat well because I love my body and value my health. I wish to spread that attitude to those I work with! Let's make health and happiness contagious! ❤️

Coconut Mango Chia Pudding

This is an awesome breakfast or dessert for the warmer months! It's creamy, cool and you can replace the mango and coconut if that's not your thing. But it is MY thing. Is it ever...

I ran across this recipe originally at skinnytaste.com, but I've modified it to fit nicely in the 21 Day Fix plan. Here's how I made it:

Ingredients: (makes 2 servings)

• 1/3 C lite coconut milk
• 2/3 C unsweetened almond milk
• A few drops of Stevia (optional)
• 2 Tbsp Chia seeds
• 2 Cup chopped mango (I used frozen and just thawed them in the fridge)
• 2 Tbsp shredded unsweetened coconut

Place the coconut milk, almond milk, Stevia (if using) and chia seeds in a small mason jar or other jar with a tight fitting lid. Stir well and let sit on the counter for about 15 minutes. Shake the jar well again (make sure the seeds are not clumped on the bottom of the jar) and place in the fridge at least overnight. When ready to eat, add chopped mango and coconut. I make a few of these at a time and they keep in the fridge for 3-4 days. Each serving as made above is 1/2 blue, 1/2 yellow, 1 purple and 1 orange container.

Summer Veggie Frittata

Last night I was pressed for time and hadn't grocery shopped so my options were limited for dinner. I had eggs and veggies and cheese...FRITTATA TIME!

This is easy to make, its a perfect way to clean out your fridge and you only have to clean one pan...can't beat that!

Ingredients:

• 8 whole eggs
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1-2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 C chopped kale (fresh or frozen)
• 1 C chopped summer squash
• 1 C chopped broccoli florets
• 1/2-3/4 C cheese (I used some feta, parmesan and mozzarella)
• salt + pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl beat eggs until well mixed, add garlic and salt and pepper to taste. In cast iron or oven safe skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Sauté veggies until soft, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a bowl beat eggs until well mixed, add garlic, cheeses and salt and pepper to taste. Pour egg mixture over veggies, pressing veggies down so they are covered with the egg. Place in oven and cook for 15 minutes, until center of frittata is firm. Don't be afraid to mix up what ever vegetables you have on hand! Serve with homemade hash browns for a well-rounded meal!

Coconut Butter

So I've been stalking this blog "My Whole Food Life," drooling over her posts for awhile. They are all whole (obviously) and clean, and perfect for a family not watching calories, but unfortunately I'm still keeping an eye on mine so I haven't gotten to make much from her site. This "coconut butter" did catch my eye though (coconut and butter, um, yes please) so I gave it a whirl! It was SO easy and SO yummy!! I used my Nutribullet to blend the coconut and it took all of 2 minutes.

All you need to do is blend 2 1/2 Cups unsweetened, shredded coconut in either a food processor or blender. She says in a processor it can take up to 20 minutes of blending, scraping the sides, blending, etc...but like I said, the Nutribullet was super fast! This yummy butter can be used as a spread or dip, and if you want to splurge, you should definitely try some of her recipes that call for coconut butter! Once I'm done with the 21 Day Fix, I will splurging on these pretty little guys...

Strawberry Creme Truffles

Super Skinny Margarita

Is there anything more delicious than a Margarita, tortilla chips and gaucomole?? Here's a good recipe for a lower calorie drink so maybe you can enjoy two! ;)

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz 100% agave blanco tequila
• 1 oz fresh lime juice
• 0.5 oz Cointreau
• Ice 

Place all ingredients in a shaker, shake well and strain into glass rimmed with salt. Makes one serving. 144 calories :)

Shakeology Doesn't Make You Skinny.

Last night I was talking to a potential customer on the phone and she asked about Shakeology. She told me that she had tried a few weight-loss shakes and not only did they taste disgusting, but she didn't want to have to pay a ton of money for a drink full of chemicals that she was supposed to have instead of real food. The whole time she was talking I just felt sad. I felt sad that she had been scammed before. I felt sad that these products are promoted as healthy and effective, yet they are anything but that!!

So my response to her when she asked how Shakeology was different was, "Shakeology isn't going to make you skinny! It's not going to make you lose weight or get thin!" I continued to explain that Shakeology is NOT A WEIGHT LOSS SHAKE! There are no appetite suppressants, diuretics, or laxatives in Shakeology. There's not even caffeine! So if someone is looking for a quick fix, they had better look elsewhere.

So what IS Shakeology? Its a health shake. Its made of delicately treated super foods that most people do not have access to, combined with protein and amino acids, fiber, and pre and probiotics that gives you an ENORMOUS dose of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. Because of the minimal processing, Shakeology provides nutrients that are usually only available in raw foods. And we all know a) how expensive produce can be, b) what a pain in the neck shopping every few days for it is, and c) how lazy we often feel when it comes to cleaning, cutting and actually eating the produce we do buy on a daily basis. Shakeology makes it easy, delicious and as convenient as possible to fill your body with the healthiest food on the planet.



I drink Shakeology every single day because it makes me feel GOOD. My skin and hair are healthy, my energy is up, and believe it or not, my cravings are down. Like, way down. Because I am getting my nutritional needs fulfilled by Shakeology like I never have been able to with a "healthy" diet, my body doesn't crave foods like it used to. It keeps me on track because when I feel too lazy to cook, I whip up a shake. When I don't plan like I want to and I'm stuck without a healthy option, I make a shake.  When I know I will be tempted by junk food, I drink a shake. It's my easy, convenient crutch, which I think everyone could use while they get their diet in check. It's whole, real, healthy food made as convenient as possible. And it's DELICIOUS! I personally love the chocolate best. :)

If you had any misconceptions that Shakeology was a diet shake, I hope you understand the TRUTH now! If you are looking for a fast fix, I'm sorry, I don't have that for you. But if you want help getting and staying on track while you learn to eat healthy, exercise hard, and work for what you want, give Shakeology a try. Oh, and its a bottom of the bag money back guaranteed product. There really isn't anything to lose!

5-Minute Raspberry Chia Seed Jam

I just discovered jam mixed with greek yogurt for a low sugar, eat clean snack that my son can enjoy (sweet enough) and I can share with him (not too much sugar). It's a winner! 1 Cup nonfat plain greek yogurt + 1-2 Tbsp whole fruit jam is my new, errr, jam. For real though, it's awesome. :)

We are going to be whipping through jam in this house now, so I was looking for a less expensive version and I came across this recipe that I've tried before and honestly LOVED. Chia seeds are a superfood and you can get frozen raspberries fairly inexpensive. You don't notice the chia seeds in this since they resemble the raspberry seeds! Give it a try, I think you'll be happy you did! This recipe came from Happy Healthy Mama (love her)!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups raspberry (if using frozen, defrost first)
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds
• 2 tablespoons warm water
• 2-4 tablespoons honey (preferably raw)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla (optional)

Put all the ingredients (start with 2 Tbsp honey) in a food processor and blend. Leave chunky if you like that texture, blend longer if you'd like it smoother. Add more honey to taste if necessary. Put into a jar with a lid and refrigerate 1 hour before serving. Keeps for a week in the fridge!